Fischers Fritz in Berlin: Christian Lohse – fish cooked to perfection

Christian Lohse is surely one of the most gifted chefs in Germany – perfect craftsmanship, an outstanding understanding of ingredients and enormous culinary intelligence combine to make his food a never-forgotten experience. Lohse focuses on a classic style of French haute cuisine, carefully updated but nevertheless uncompromised, without frills and using the finest produce, including an increasing role for vegetables grown in the area around Berlin. Lohse does not confine himself to fish, however, but allows a few sublime meat and poultry products to enter his repertoire.

One signature dish is his supreme of Atlantic turbot, which he seasons sparingly to avoid overpowering the distinct flavour of the fish. Served à part are a few roasted porcini mushrooms – after all, fine cuisine needs nothing more. Lohse turns on the complexity in his playful 'Mars bar' terrine of foie gras and smoked Havel eel with pepper caramel and confiture of violet aubergines , in which he judges the layers of foie gras, eel and caramel to perfection. This creates a transparent layering of flavours in which each component is free to develop its full effect, a masterstroke in conjunction with the aubergine. Another legendary Lohse dish is his onsen egg, which is poached at 61°C for 48 minutes before being wrapped in a whisper-thin layer of breadcrumbs to give the tender egg more substance – served for example with stone-milled polenta, chanterelles and young parmesan.